December 12, 2011

Entomologists describe plant effects on foraging by a biological control agent

Entomology professors Jim Nechols, David Margolies and Raymond Cloyd, and former master's student Lessando Gontijo published "Plant architecture and prey distribution influence foraging behavior of a predatory mite" in Experimental and Applied Acarology, an international scientific journal. They argued that arrangement, number and size of plant parts may influence predator foraging behavior. The finding of this study suggested that both plant architecture and pattern of prey distribution need to be considered in augmentative biological control programs.